I am not trying to change Israel's law That doesn't mean I don't have the right to make a judgement call when I see bigotry... It seems to me all the answers I am getting are simply reconfirming my opinion that this law is rooted in bigotry. The answer is that being Jewish is 1 part theology... and 1 part a belief in a bloodline... It is still a belief. It is still a religion in the oath... even if in part that religion is solely related to ones bloodline. It is still wrong.

I am not trying to change Israel's law That doesn't mean I don't have the right to make a judgement call when I see bigotry... It seems to me all the answers I am getting are simply reconfirming my opinion that this law is rooted in bigotry. The answer is that being Jewish is 1 part theology... and 1 part a belief in a bloodline... It is still a belief. It is still a religion in the oath... even if in part that religion is solely related to ones bloodline. It is still wrong.

Yes ... Such a highly-principled Stance IS understandable for me ... living and moving and having MY being in VERY Progressive-Liberal-Democratic ( and PEACEFUL and SAFE ... !!! ) Minnesota ...

But ... IF I and my Children and Grand-Children and Friends and Relatives and Neighbors in Minnesota were subjected to virtually CONSTANT Hostility and Threat and violent murderous ATTACKS coming across the Borders of Canada and Wisconsin and North Dakota and South Dakota ...

It is ... SO ... E-A-S-Y ... and ... S-A-F-E ... to criticise The Israelis ... from a DISTANCE ...

I am comparing Israel to the west... as they ask to be. not the region. and I do have a right to talk about any country and their policies as I see fit... morality is absolute. That it is Israel is only means that I don't have the right to vote on the issue.

The uproar over Israel’s proposed loyalty oath for new immigrants has sparked renewed debate over whether Israel’s insistence on being a “Jewish state” violates the principles of western democracy. Critics claim that by identifying the country with Jewish symbols, such as the Star of David or menorah, having its national anthem relate to the Jewish yearning for a “return to Zion” and granting Jews automatic citizenship through the Law of Return, Israel is verging on theocratic ideals and rudely affronts its non-Jewish citizens. Israel is not a theocracy, however; it is governed by the rule of law as drafted by a democratically elected parliament and enforced by a highly praised judicial system.

Israeli law adheres to many Jewish religious customs and is largely informed by Jewish values, but this structure makes it no different than other democracies that shape themselves around Christian or Islamic traditions. The Greek constitution outlines the country as an Eastern Orthodox state; Christian crosses don the flags of Switzerland, Sweden and Finland; the monarchs of the UK, Norway and Denmark head their respective national churches. 413 In addition, Ireland has a law allowing immigrants of “Irish descent or Irish associations” to be exempt from ordinary naturalization rules while Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany and a number of other democratic states also have precedents strikingly similar to Israel'sLaw of Return. No one, though, claims that these countries cannot be democratic while also maintaining strong connections with their national heritage and religious core.

Israel is the prototypical “ethnic democracy”, wherein Jews account for the desired majority, but its democratic foundation grants all faiths freedom of worship, protects the rights of minorities and allows non-Jews the right to run for government offices and fully participate in political processes.414Israeli law also grants freedom of the press and freedom to assemble for all citizens, thrives off of open political debate and welcomes immigrants without racial discrimination. In fact, Israel is the largest, per-capita immigrant-absorbing nation in the world with citizens hailing from more than 100 different countries and representing more than six distinct ethnic and religious groups.415

At its core, democracy is “rule of the people, by the people, for the people”, and it is therefore understandable that democracy would look slightly different as the shared history, culture and traditions of people differ from one country to the next. Just as Arabs, Turks or Japanese people, Jews have the right to self-determination in their own sovereign state. Israel is that sovereign homeland of the Jewish people and it is also democratic, tenets that are not inherently oxymoronic or contradictory.

You are correct on both counts. There are many in Israel who disagree (on just about any topic but also on this one) and you are not crazy.

Israel is a democracy and that's why people disagree on this topic as well. The disagreement includes most (but not all) the Arab members of the Israeli parliament, many ultra-orthodox Jewish Israelis, some left-liberal Israelis and others. I think that most Israelis do not disagree with the latest form of the oath of allegiance and that is why it will probably be approved by the parliament.

I think that the problem most honest people have with the oath (dishonest ones are opposed because they oppose everything about Israel) is that they see a religious element and a religious test of sorts in the oath. The only response that I have is that the majority of Israelis, including many who oppose the oath, do not view Jewish as being a member of a religion but Jewish as being a member of a nation. This is one of the core principles of Zionism and why it is the case that some Zionists, such as Herzl for instance, were opposed to any Jewish religious interference in the running of the Jewish state. It is also for that reason that no one before or after the oath comes into use, has to pass a test of religious belief before becoming a citizen. To put it as plainly as I can, though one must be a member of the Jewish nation to qualify for admission under the Law of Return, one does not have to show any evidence of belief in the Jewish faith.

Now one may disagree with the definition of Jewish as a form of nationalism, there are a good many Jews who do disagree, but that doesn't deny the right of the Jews of Israel, or any other Jews for that matter, to define themselves as a nation rather than or in addition to as a religion. At least that's my opinion.